You and the Dreams of the Future and Our Big Hope
by Pikapegasus
Summary: "The Black Widow doesn't want to get married," Natasha insists. "But if Natasha had to get married, she'd probably marry Clint." (Clintasha Week 2016, Day 3: Trope) (Childhood Friends AU) (Oneshot.)


**Clintasha Week, Day 3:** Trope

 _Childhood Marriage Promise + Puppy Love_

* * *

"Clint likes Natasha."

" _Hey_ ," Clint huffs, his cheeks reddening. He turns to Tony with a big frown, even bigger than when he'd argued with Natasha over something silly a week before. (Though, that happens a lot, so Natasha doesn't take his frowns very seriously.) "Knock it off, Tony."

"We can all tell," Bruce says, pushing his glasses up his nose. He sets his green chalk on the ground beside his completed drawing of the Hulk. "Even Thor can tell."

"Clint and Natasha are in love!" Thor bellows without looking up from his sidewalk artwork.

"We are _not!_ " Clint insists, crossing his arms over his chest and leaving his drawing of Hawkeye unfinished. "You guys are just crazy."

"Why don't we ask Natasha who she likes, then?" Steve says. "We all know Clint likes her, but who does Natasha like?"

Suddenly, five pairs of eyes are on her. Natasha blinks innocently, looking up from her own chalky drawing. She's been working hard on it since Steve had first shown up with chalk earlier; it's what she thinks her superhero persona, the Black Widow, looks like when Natasha plays Avengers with her friends. The Black Widow is tough and cool and beautiful all at once, wearing a skin-tight, leather suit that's perfect for fighting and gymnastics and dancing, and even has electric powers so she can punch _and_ electrocute people at the same time.

"I like everyone," Natasha answers, confused, because isn't it obvious? They're _all_ her friends, so that means she must like _all_ of them. "I like all of the Avengers. And Pepper, too. You're all my friends."

"But who do you like the _most?_ " Tony says, leaning over his mess of red and yellow that Natasha assumes is Iron Man. "Isn't there someone you like a _lot?_ "

Natasha shakes her head. "I don't get it."

"A _crush_ , Nat," Steve explains, carefully setting his blue chalk on the ground so it won't roll away. "Like a boyfriend."

" _Ew!_ " Natasha sticks out her tongue. "I don't want a boyfriend!" After all, she's only _nine_ \- what nine year olds have boyfriends? Weird ones, that's who. "I don't need a boyfriend, anyway. I'm the Black Widow, so I save myself!"

"What if you had to marry one of us?" Bruce questions, absentmindedly coloring the green blob that is the Hulk. "Who would you marry? You can't marry all five of us."

"She would marry Clint! Duh! Natasha and Clint, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Tony sings, waving his red and yellow chalk crayons over his head. "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage!"

"Shut _up_ ," Clint grumbles, turning away from the group. Natasha watches his fingers curl more tightly around his purple chalk. He must be pretty annoyed with Tony. "This is dumb. Nobody's getting married."

"The Black Widow doesn't want to get married," Natasha assures them, returning her focus to her drawing. She smiles. "She doesn't need a husband. She just wants to save everyone, so she doesn't have time to get married."

"Besides," Clint looks at Tony, "does this mean you're going to marry _Pepper?_ "

That seems to quiet Tony. He doesn't answer outside of a huff, similar to the same one Clint had given moments before.

"That's what I thought." Clint smirks. "See? Nobody's getting married, like I said."

But everyone's words hang in Natasha's mind as she colors in the Black Widow's left arm with black chalk. Would she really marry one of them? She'd never thought about it before. Does she even have a _crush_ on anyone? She doesn't think so, but if she _had_ to marry one of them…

"The Black Widow doesn't want to get married," Natasha repeats. "But if _Natasha_ had to get married, she'd probably marry Clint."

She's still focused on her drawing, but freezes once she realizes everyone else has stopped. Looking up at everyone again, she finds Clint _still_ blushing, Thor and Tony high-fiving, Steve pressing his lips together, and Bruce averting his eyes. Natasha tilts her head. "Why are you all looking at me funny?"

"You made Clint blush even _more!_ " Tony cackles. "You're ruthless!"

"I was just telling the truth," Natasha points out.

"It is as I said," Thor says smugly, coloring in the crooked lines of Mjolnir. "Clint and Natasha are in love!"

"I love everyone," Natasha reminds them, glancing at each of them. "But Clint is my best friend. I don't mind marrying him."

Tony's full-on laughing now. "You don't _mind_ marrying him?"

Now Natasha's blushing. "Of course I don't! I love Clint! So I'll marry him!"

A real silence settles over the group then. After her little outburst, Natasha's eyes find their way to Clint's, wide and a little embarrassed. Clint's eyes are wide, his cheeks still flushed, and his mouth is open to say something, but nothing comes out. Natasha averts her eyes for a moment before pushing herself up to her feet, looking at everyone with a determined expression.

"The Black Widow and Hawkeye are partners," she tells them. "So of course they love each other. And Natasha loves Clint, too, so I'll marry him someday, when I'm all grown up."

"Natasha…" Clint says quietly.

"But Tony and Pepper _also_ have to get married." Natasha sticks her tongue out at Tony.

"Hey!" Tony protests. "This has nothing to do with me!"

"Tony and Pepper, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" she sings, twirling once for added effect. "First comes love, then comes marriage-"

"No! No babies!" Tony interrupts. "I'm gonna get you, Nat!"

With that, Natasha laughs and turns around, running down the street with Tony chasing after her.

* * *

"Did you mean it?"

Clint removes the ice pack covering the lumpy bruise on his eye to properly watch Natasha answer his question. She pushes a strand of her hair, disheveled from all of the excitement of today in "breaking Clint out of his stupid and scary house" (as she'd called it), behind her ear, her gaze calmly resting on his.

"Mean what?" she asks. "Something I said today? You don't deserve the bad things your dad did to you, Clint. It wasn't your fault."

"Not that." Clint shakes his head. "I mean what you said last year. About us getting married."

It takes Natasha a moment, but she seems to recall what he's referring to. She smiles sheepishly. "O-Oh, yeah, I said that to get everyone to stop talking about it. I thought their teasing was bothering you."

"A little," Clint shrugs. "But...did you mean it?"

"Um…" Natasha's cheeks redden and she looks at her lap.

"It's okay if you didn't," Clint reassures her. He can't blame her; after everything that's happened, especially today, he can't believe _anyone_ would want to deal with him more than they have to. His father didn't, and his brother barely has. It's not fair to make Natasha put up with more of him than she needs to.

But she shakes her head. "I want to."

He blinks. "You... _what?_ "

"I want to marry you still, when we grow up," Natasha says. "You're my best friend and I want to be with you forever. Isn't that what getting married means? Being together forever? We should do it."

"Why?" Clint can't help but ask. He places the ice back over his eye. "All I do is cause trouble for everyone. I'm not very good."

"You're wrong!" Natasha insists, pointing a finger at him. "When I said that when we were little, you told me I was wrong. So you're wrong, too!"

"Natasha, you're ridiculous," Clint sighs.

"We're going to get married someday," Natasha says, apparently deciding the matter herself. (They're both only _ten years old._ ) "I want to be with Clint forever."

Well.

Clint can't deny he wants that, too.

And then Natasha's arms are around him. She pulls him in for a hug. "I want to protect you forever, Clint. When we're together, nothing can beat us!"

Giving into her words, he nods, hugging her back.

"Okay. Let's get married when we grow up."

Natasha pulls away, her hands on his shoulders as she stares intensely into his eyes. "You swear on your Avenger's honor?"

Clint places a hand over his heart. "I swear. And you?"

"I swear." Natasha mirrors him.

"Great. We're engaged...Is that the word?"

"I think so."

"Cool."

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm telling you guys, I'm like 0.000000001 seconds away from literally writing a whole childhood friends au fic about clintasha,,, pls send help


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